Thornclaw Clan
The Thornclaw Clan '''is a near extinct clan of '''Necroshamans who once hailed from the area known as Nul, in the Tundra of the twilight band around Mikros. As a clan of Nightdwellers they made their home within the maze-like glacial caverns that made up the geological make-up of their icy home. They formed long, sharp talons, as a part of evolution's push, to help them better climb the frosted ice and catch their prey. Their talons would have become so well known, for looking and acting like that of a thorn on a bush, these Nameless would have given themselves a name based off their most prized physical features. Indeed it is said there is almost always a thorn on a Thornclaw's body. And if not yet, there would be. Zekel Gloomwater, a draken poet, once described the clan during a thirteen hour long epic that had been told and retold and written in form of an one thousand and ninety five page novel known as The War Feeds. This recollection of the history of the Necroshaman and Bloodhunters would have compared the Thornclaws to that of a Cassian rose. He looked towards the frosty air' as blood colored ice snows down to stain the pure white. Out of season, something crimson, beautiful to the eyes and soft to the touch, poked out to greet him. Feeling betrayed by his brothers he thought the flower to be his friend. When he reached out and touched it, he winced in pain. Finding that his blood too, would meet with the earth buried below. The War Feeds. History According to legend, the clan began with two siblings following a terrible battle between two neighboring clans. Akresh and Amythea. Akresh was stranded on an island in Nul and starving, with no one there with him except for the younger Amythea. A mysterious draken by the name of Viisk came along, and seeing the draken in a weakened state offered him power. He would change the draken, giving him all the strength he desired. Only if he would pass the draken's trials. Akresh accepted the challenge, completing one trial, then another, until he reached the third trial---a trial of sacrifice. Akresh's task was that he had to eat his own sister. His hunger was so strong, and his power lust so strong he did not spend a moment to think about his actions, and swallowed her whole. And Viisk delivered on his wish. He changed Akresh, from a draken of the hunt, to one of extinction. He spent his days devouring the souls of the dead, just like he devoured his sister. But she did not die, no, she spent her days laying in his belly, eating what he ate, absorbing the souls. It wasn’t until he ate the soul of a massive wyrm that she broke free. Amythea grew and grew and grew from her brother's excess power, and she burst from Akresh’s belly, becoming a drakeness consumed by mourning. It is said that Viisk would have later taken this drakeness as his first wife. Whether or not there is any truth to this legend, it is very telling of the Thornclaw's nature. Viisk was said to have a number of children following the death of Akresh. The most constant number being nine. Although there are some accounts that only list it as eight or seven. Bruvos the Schemer, Barabas the Mourner, Orvus the Deceased, Gustav the Killer, Saral the Shepherd, Neemo the Nothing, and Averi the Matyr were the names of the children that are known. Out of the children born and lived, Gustav, Barabas, and Saral were the only ones to die a natural death. Although the fate of Saral is a fate that is under discussion and debate. Gustav created in his life time a clan that was a force of fear and influence in honor of his father. While Barabas became somewhat of a wisewoman for what remained of her clan following the deaths of Orvus and Averi, later Bruvos and Neemo. A secret agreement was created between the growing Thornclaws and the clan of Hailblade '''following the Hailblade's current clanlord '''Detrek Hailblade's discovery of the Necroshamans during his travels. He had fought in numerous conflicts, hunts, tournaments, and was a gallant but flawed warrior, typical of heroes of the era---one of his hunts left him stranded in Thornclaw territory. When the Thornclaws gave him kindness, Detrek, in his honor, would offer something in return. His Clan's friendship. It was the Thornclaw's who took this a step further. Offering to help protect the Hailblade clan from their enemies. This, of course, would include the use of the Dark Rites. It would just so happen that, during this era in the history of the Thornclaw Clan, there was a longlasting conflict between two Clans warring over control of the various islands that made up Nul; the Hailblades and the''' Briskwater Clan'. The Briskwater Clan had claimed an ancient domain over the hundreds of islands within the body of water, condemning the Hailblade as thieves and barbarians. Draken who lacked honor. Draken who did nothing but pillage and kill. The current leader of the Thornclaw clan at the time, '''Malek Thornclaw', took these condemnations and turned it around on the Briskwaters from his shadowy lair. Cursing them with the a growing greed and distrust within their own ranks. Malek planted evidence wherever he could that would cause dissent among draken in positions of power and respect. He created great illusions, blinding their eyes. Only the seer Feena Briskwater was able to see through illusions. Which she wrote about in her journal, following failed warnings towards her brethren. "The clear chill that once filled our lungs has been polluted. I fear that the mistrust between my brethren is the result of dark magics and trickery, but their ears are closed to me. Their eyes are blinded." ''Feena would exile herself from her clan later. Taking for herself the name '''Gloomwater'. Feena would later start a family with another draken exile. Birthing an entire generation of seers and soothsayers, with her gift to lift the viel of blindness passed down a thin and fragile line. Following a major defeat at the Battle of Sleetrock, which involved an island splitting into two as the ocean below swallowed up warriors from the warring clans, Briskwater finally would have had enough. The split had divided their men from each other, and the increasing levels of dissent did nothing to aid the situation. A lone Briskwater by the name of Virtuu Briskwater '''would have stood and demanded an audience with the leader of Hailblade Clan. The following negotiations, was a complicated manner. Virtuu was reportedly turned away at first, the Hailblades amused with her boldness. But Virtuu was stubborn, and cunning. She concocted schemes that would force the Hailblade clan to consider, taking with her a band of Briskwaters on missions to confuse and frighten the enemy. Using the warnings given to her by Feena as inspiration for her trickery. It was agreed within this group that they would never be able to rid themselves of the Hailblades, but they would rather need to force them to co-exist. Eventually Virtuu succeeded, and the Briskwaters and the Hailblades would have sat with each other at a stone table, with Malek sitting between them as a mediator. The resulting alliance between the clans present would have eventually become known as the '''Nulwinter Tribe, with islands and land divided equally between the three present clans, with Malek offering up land that was already claimed by the Thornclaws. This alliance, built on the shaky ground that it was, would last over 900 years. The Thornclaws would continue their initial agreement with the Hailblades. Acting as a sort of secret police within this alliance. Ensuring that the Hailblade Counciler would have the final say in the end. Both cursing and rewarding the Briskwaters for their infidelities and loyalty. Doing the same for lesser members of the Hailblades. Malek and his brethren enjoyed a position of power in which both clans would come to them for consultation. He would whisper dark words into the ears of the other councilers. And he would show them incredible secrets...forbidden secrets. The Nulwinter Tribe would grow under this thorny tree, taunting the Nul with forbidden magic. But at a consequence. Ancient beings from the past would begin to stir from the power that seeped into their bones, including a great whale that would be later given the name "Viisk". This consequence would later come back to haunt them. The alliance would have been given their first great trial with the arrival of a seafaring clan that hailed from the day side of the twilight band, the Floodstone Clan. The Flloodstones were traveling north from the southern waters of the Variance, which at the time was mostly unclaimed by any tribal alliance, save for the Crimson Tears '''of the '''Everburning Clan. The patriarch of the clan, Desden Floodstone, '''had heard whispers from other clans of a growing darkness in the north that was affecting the waters. He and his people could feel it within the currents of the oceans. They could see it within the ecosystem. It had concerned them, and they would have traveled to the north with the intent on offering aid, should it be accepted. The Thornclaws moved quickly. Accepting Dresden with open arms and inviting him to a feast. The current patriarch of the Thornclaws at the time, '''Zelimir Thornclaw, would cleverly feed them information that they felt they needed to know. Claiming that the Nulwinters were also concerned with the growing darkness. And did what they could to keep it at bay. They guided the Floodstones to the wells of power, showing them their dedication to "purity". The Floodstones believed them, for a time... The Thornclaws and the Floodstones exchanged gifts in the form of knowledge. The Floodstones were given maps of the surrounding area. They were taught how to harvest ice from the glaciers. How to preserve food through the colder season. What plants to harvest in the tundra. While the Floodstones taught the Thornclaws how to read the winds and navigate beyond the middle of the twilight. It truly looked like another addition to the Nulwinter alliance. However there was unrest within the three Nullwinter tribes. Starting with a rivalry between Edrek of the Briskwater Clan and Gustav of the Thornclaws. It started off as a simple romantic spat. Edrek and Gustav both fell in love with a drakeness named Zilvinas of the Floodstone Clan. Being the best of friends they were, their competition for Zlivinas's love was a friendly one at first. Simple pranks. Simple flirtations. It was all in good fun. Gustav did not care much for his father's manipulations, or his siblings scramble for power. He was a simple fisherman. While Edrek was a simple tool crafter. The two had a fond and fair partnership in shared control over the beasts of the waters. Zilvinas found an admiration for both of their trades. In Gustav, she saw the spirit of a hunter. Someone she could share a passion with. In Edrek she saw the beauty of creativity. As well as a cunning mind that could challenge her. She loved them both. Her brother, Naunet, loved them both. Then. Like that of a sudden storm. Something changed between the two. Their pranks became heated attacks. Their flirtations became stinging words. It would have gotten to a point where Naunet would have to step between them many times. Naunet became the bolt that kept their bridge afloat. And Zilvinas suffered from the constant pressure to choose. What happened next could be described as nothing but a tragedy. Naunet, in an innocent attempt to bring peace between the two, would suggest that they hunted down the great whale Viisk as a united group. Naunet would guide their vessel. Edrek would provide and tend to the tools needed for their trip. Zilvinas would read the signs of the air and waters. While Gustav would be in charge of handling their survival inventory. Naunet spread word to the clans, who would have seen their clan members off. No one suspected that Edrek was secretly scheming against Gustav. The four were seen off with celebration, and it wasn't until the fortieth day that things would seem very very wrong. The hunt took a turn for a worse when they ran through into a storm. A blizzard. Which would set the group's vessel right off its course. Lost and stranded, the group began arguing over the next action they should take. Gustav would push for them to give up their hunt, and look for a way back. While Edrek would criticize Gustav for his cowardice, saying that they must push forward. When the Floodstones were pressed for an opinion, Nanuet would reveal that he was neither for one decision nor the other. Zilvinas, however, was a curious darkness. Who wished to see what great of a beast Viisk was, having heard so many of the legends. And so, the group decided to press on, although Gustav would accept the decision begrudgingly. Ironic, since out of everyone in the group, he was most familiar with that of the hunt. Yet he felt a deep dark pit in his stomach, and could hear icy whispers in his ear that night; warning him of the betrayal that was to come. The next morning, Gustav awoke to find that all of the remaining food for their journey was missing. Including their water flasks. When confronted by his peers, he would have insisted that he did not know their fate, although Edrek would press that he purposefully threw them overboard. Because he did not wish for them to continue to search for the beast. These accusations would soon grow as the group sailed along. Turning from accusations of fear. To that of the dark arts. Finally the tension broke, and Gustav in his rage would strike out at Edrek, using his thorn like claws to create a number of gashes across Edrek's face. Naunet, who would have time and time again dispel their arguments, had no choice but to bound Gustav's hands until they returned home. Hours after Gustav's hands were bound, a great rumbling wail was heard below, followed by a great shadow leaping above them. Edrek was snatched up into the shadow's jaw, and never seen again. As though the gods themselves had condemned him to die. The experience shook the remaining passengers with terror. Naunet would have formed a giant iceberg out of the waters around them to contain the beast, in an attempt to protect the rest of them. As Gustav bowed his head in reverence. Seeing this as a sign. They returned home empty handed, and one passenger short. Gustav couldn't be tried as the murderer of Edrek, as he had not been the one to fulfill the deed. The Thornclaw would instead have offered to compensate the Briskwater Clan for the death of their eldest heir, as ordered by his father Zelimir. He would journey out to find the very whale that had been frozen in ice by his companion, and would set to end its life. Before he left his father pulled him aside, commanding him to bring back its bones in a shadowy whisper. While the elder of the Briskwaters would demand that he bring back Edrek's body. While Gustav was gone, Nanuet and Zilvinas both began investigating the Nulwinter Tribe under suspicion of Necroshamanism. Zelimir took this moment to plant evidence against the Briskwaters. Seeing them as finally outliving their usefulness. During all of these events the Hailblades have been pushing the Nulwinter territory into the edge of the Variance, with the intent of discovering the origins of these Floodstone strangers. Their patriarch Hanrek Hailblade, would have found a kingdom of blood hunters, the Crimson Tears. Their self proclaimed King was a Draken clanlord who went by the name of Mattarias Everburning, who ruled alongside his son Synrio. The laughing king shared openly to Hanrek his people's culture and their self given task. To purge the seas surrounding the Variance of any and all darkness. To stop the foretold days of raining blood. Mattarias warned him that a great whale slumbers beneath the seas of Nul. Once it awakens, it would swallow his legacy whole. Hanrek would leave Mattarias's land with grateful words for his warning, and gifts of gold and spices. Upon his return, Hanrek would witness the Floodstone strangers executing the patriarch of the Briskwater Clan. With Zelimir watching from the sidelines. Category:Draken Clans Category:Organizations